Comb for sheep-shear.



J. M. BODENE.

COMB FOR SHEEP SHEAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. a, 1916.

Patented May 29, 1917.

8%2: JED/1 Ha 41.23056 UNITED @TATEh PANT JOHN M. BODELTE, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGO FLEXIBLE SHAFT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 191?.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. BODENE, a citizen of the United Sitates,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Comb for Sheep- Shear,of which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved comb for sheepshears, particularly adapted for shearing so as to leave a relativelylong stubble, and to avoid or diminish the retardment of the shearingprocess which usually attends long stubble shearing, and to avoid ordiminish the clogging of the comb by oil-and-wax-embedded bers orfragments of fiber. It consists in me elements and features ofconstruction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an inverted perspective view of a comb embodying thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2-2 on Fig. 1 showing the comb placed innormal position,that is, not inverted.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3-3 on Fig. 1, also showing the comb innormal position.

The improved comb which constitutes this invention comprises a plate, A,having formed integrally at its forward edge the comb fingers, Aseparated by the notches, A forming the shearing edge, at, at the uppersurface of each comb finger, extending from the point, a to the point,a. The facing sides of proximate comb fingers are concavely curvedtoward each other, and are also slightly inclined away from each otherfrom the upper side of the plate downward to the lower side, whichresults in the notches, A between the fingers, terminating at the rearor root. of the fingers in an acute angle the line of which is slopedback downward from the upper to the lower side of the plate, as seen ata, in Fig. 2. For long stubble shearing it has been customary to providea correspondingly thick comb plate of uniform thickness throughout,-thatis, through the whole fore-andaft extent of the fingers and sometimesthrough the whole fore-and-aft extent of the plate from the forward endof the comb fingers to the back edge of the plate. This causes the shearto be greatly retarded in operation because of the frictional resistance involved in forcing the thick comb through heavily matted Woolwhich encounters great resistance due to friction and adhesion on thebroad facing surfaces of the fingers between which the wool is crowdedby the taper of the notches between the fingers. This defect in previouscomb c0nstructions is avoided in the present invention by making thecomb plate only of such thickness as necessary for its proper rigidityand strength. except over a minor portion of the length of the fingers;that is to say, the shearing edge of the fingers having their dimensionsin the direction of the thickness of the plate greater than theremainder of the plate for a minor portion of said length. This featureis clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the forward portionof the fingers, A having their vertical dimension increased beyond thethickness of the plate, as seen at a in each finger. Preferably thisincrease in the vertical dimension of the finger is made opposite theforward portion of the shearing edge of the finger, and preferably itdoes not extend beyond a short distance back from the forward end ofsaid shearing edge, preferably. as illustrated, rather less than halfthe length of the finger. The exact length, however, is a matter ofminor detail which may be varied. without departing from the substanceof the invention. Preferably the lower edge of the finger at thisvertically widened portion, a is substantially parallel with the upperedge, the fingers at the forward points being. as usual. slightlyrounded at the lower side and slightly beveled off at the upper sideforward of the shearing edge to ease the entrance of the comb into thewool.

The advance of the comb through the wool in shearing is often very muchretarded or rendered difficult. and the shearing process impeded anddeteriorated by the accumulation of oily or waxy matter from the woolwith embedded fragments of fibers in the back portion of the notchesbetween the teeth, and upon the surface of the comb, causing more orless adhesion of the comb to the wool stubble, tending to resist thepassage of the comb through and over the same.

In the comb shown in the drawings, this dificulty is diminished andsubstantially avoided by extending back from each of the notches betweenthe fingers at the lower side of the comb a downwardly-concave furrow,of, said furrow being sloped so as to diminish in depth from front torear, merging in the lower surface of the comb plate at a distance backfrom the end of the notch be tween the fingers. As shown in thedrawings, the slope of this furrow is such as to cause it to run out ormerge in the surface of the plate at a distance back from the end of thenotch approximating one-half the finger length. This is to bedistinguished from the short sloped inner end of the notches between thefingers which becomes sloped at a as described, by reason of the factthat the finger surfaces facing each other at opposite sides of thenotches between the fingers are inclined transversely of the fingers.This short slope is always necessarily present for the reason indicated;but it does not remove nor prevent the difiiculty above pointed outwhich is relieved by the long gradually sloped furrows, a which extendback from the short slopes above mentioned in the under surface of thecomb.

I claim 1. A comb for sheep shears, comprising a plate havingintegrally-formed comb fingers at the forward edge tapered in width fromtheir points backward, the proximate sides of adjacent fingers beingcurved concave toward each other and meeting at acute angles, and theplate having upwardly-concave furrows extending at considerable lengthfrom 3-5 the rear ends of the notches between the fingers, said furrowssloping very gradually in depth diminishing back from the ends of thenotches to the bottom surface of the plate.

2. A comb for sheep shears, comprising a plate having integrally-formedcomb fingers at the forward edge, said fingers having their dimension inthe direction of the thickness of the plate back from the shearing planeat a minor portion of the length of the shearing edge greater than thethickness of the remainder of the plate.

3. A comb for sheep shears, comprising a plate having integrally-formedcomb fingers at the forward edge, said fingers having their dimension inthe direction of the thickness of the plate back from the shearing planeat a minor forward portion of the length of the shearing edge greaterthan the thickness of the remainder of the plate.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois,this 31st day of March, 1916.

JOHN M. BODENE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

